The traffic island and street at 60th and SM Parkway are severely deteriorated.

A crumbling piece of roadway along 60th Street and Shawnee Mission Parkway in Mission is not planned for repair until the Gateway project is launched. That was the message that the Kansas Department of Transportation sent to a nearby homeowner who has been lobbying to have the intersection improved.

The City of Mission takes care of 60th Street up to the start of the KDOT right-of-way that borders Shawnee Mission Parkway. The several feet of roadway between the end of the city’s pavement and the actual Parkway lanes contain a crumbling traffic island and potholes in the street.

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Jay Peery, who lives a short distance from the intersection, said the infrastructure has been deteriorating for a decade and he made inquiries about its condition starting three years ago. A recent email response he received from KDOT says that the intersection is planned to be widened when the Gateway project (directly across the Parkway) is developed. That would be a better time to do the repairs, Peery was told. “While we do not prefer to leave this pavement in its current condition we are reluctant to dedicate resources to improve something that may soon after get torn out,” the email states.

The Gateway development has not seen any progress since its groundbreaking almost a year ago. Plans to develop the Gateway property extend back several years. Much of the traffic island has crumbled over the years – Perry says the concrete has not been maintained for 10 years.

The traffic island is a “weed pit,” Peery says, and an “eyesore” for the entrance to the neighborhood. The city did take care of the weeds this year after a complaint even though the island is a state responsibility.

Mission city staff confirm that the intersection has a new design that will be implemented with the Gateway project. Because 60th Street will be widened in the new design, the project will include Mission at that time. KDOT also told Peery it would look at short-term repairs in the next year if they can be packaged with another project.

Peery also would like to see a crosswalk at the intersection to allow pedestrians to safely cross Shawnee Mission Parkway and connect his Mission neighborhood to the rest of the city – another improvement he has lobbied for over the years.

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